


Pineapple Express

by Dekka



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Allergic reaction, Anaphylaxis, Arguing, Established Relationship, F/M, Hospitals, Jordie thinks there could be non-con for one setence, M/M, Misunderstandings, assumed cheating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 13:50:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11464899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dekka/pseuds/Dekka
Summary: There's no good place to have an allergic reaction, but Tyler is gifted in the bad luck department. So naturally, he has an allergic reaction at the wrong time and in the wrong place: after a fight with his boyfriend and during a party.(This is told mostly in Jordie's point of view)





	Pineapple Express

**Author's Note:**

> Tyler casually mentioning he's allergic to pineapple in some interview about pizza toppings is completely to blame for this fic. 
> 
> I don't know these people, and this is purely fiction. I also have no idea how severe his allergy is.

Jordie likes to consider himself a fairly patient guy. He puts up with a lot. Specially, he deals with his little brother on a daily basis. Sometimes his brother is a saint, a leader, and a down to earth guy. But more often he’s every bit as annoying as the three year age difference allows. 

They’ve lived together for almost a year now, so they usually know when to give each other space. But today is not usual. 

It starts with Jamie spilling coffee on Jordie's sweater. 

Jordie shakes the burn off, clenching his teeth so that he doesn't yell. He’s not mad, he's just disappointed. "My favorite one, man," he complains, wiping off the coffee while Jamie just grimaces at him. He's warned Jamie about walking around the corners of their place with his head down a countless number of times, but he knows his baby brother is sometimes a little spacey and is always thinking, so he lets it slide with a reminder for Jamie to pay attention. The wide-eyed nod and apology he gets in return is enough to have most of his soured mood squashed.

Then, not even two hours later, Jamie opens the front door to Segs. Having Tyler over is almost always a blessing. He can defuse Benn brother fights better than even their Mom and he’s always up for whatever they throw at him. But today, he’s downright spastic, too hyped up for Jordie’s mellow day-off mood. 

Jordie loves Tyler like a second brother, mostly because he thinks that someday, Tyler will be his brother. In law, that is. But right now, mid-season, in the middle of the grind of playing a professional sport, he loves days off more than he loves any man. And he especially loves days off with his girlfriend. 

So Jordie stays clear of his brother and his brother’s boyfriend and invites his girlfriend over. He’s leaning in to kiss her when a door down the hall slams, muffled yelling echoing through the apartment. His air leaves him in a rush and he prays his apologetic expression is enough to have her forgive his living situation. "Get them to figure out their shit," she says, grabbing her purse, "I'm not sticking around for sooth baby Benn time." She’s been through this routine more times than Jordie can count. He knows she's coming from a good place because some days he questions if she loves Jamie more than he does. After all, it's easier to love from the outside.

So Jordie promises he'll talk to Jamie and Tyler and begs her to stay, but she still leaves, telling him to call her when they work everything out. Jordie doubts a year of therapy would fix the problems within this house, but he says he'll call later tonight anyway.

Its his first day off in what feels like forever and he's not getting laid, and he’s forced to spend the next two hours fixing Jamie's relationship problems. He deserves a medal.

By the end of the two hours Jordie feels like he's run a marathon in slow motion, feeling every bump and bruise of the argument. Tyler and Jamie are difficult beyond belief, today worse than usual, and Jordie has had enough. "Why don't you two just give each other space tonight?" he yells, just to be heard over their bickering. His suggestion effectively silences the room.

If this is the only peace and quiet he gets today, he'll take it. He leans back on the couch, staring at the ceiling, and wonders why he ever agreed to live with his baby brother. 

"Okay," Jamie says, when the silence has stretched on a worryingly long time. When Jordie lifts his head up it's to unmasked hurt in Tyler's eyes. Though he sympathizes with Tyler and his Brother’s struggles, he's two seconds away from walking out on both of them. Sometimes he feels like a third part of their rocky relationship.

They may be a pain in the butt for Jordie, but Tyler and Jamie are good for each other, and he can't help but feel like he's selfishly stuck a wrench in their relationship just to get them to stop fighting in his living room. "Guys, that was a stupid idea. I shouldn't have-" Tyler cuts Jordie off saying, "No, I think it’s a good idea,” even though his face says the exact opposite. 

Tyler goes back to his place and Jordie and Jamie retreat to separate rooms to grovel. He knows Jamie and Tyler will work things out eventually, like they always do, but he feels directly responsible for the way this fight erupted. 

He mopes for an hour before he decides he has to do something to make this right. He canoodles over the phone with Jason until they have a plan in place. Jason code names the plan ‘Baby Ben's Ken’. It's simple, really, they just have to force Jamie and Tyler to go to Jason's house tonight for a party and then get them to talk it out. They invite most of the team, and throw together a good group of people easily. By seven the guest list has tripled, like it always does, and Jordie and Jamie are getting ready to leave. 

They get there before Tyler. Jordie watches the door like a hawk, waiting for Tyler to swoop in and save him from his moody brother and fix the problem he caused. But that doesn't happen. Not even a minute after Tyler arrives he's slamming down drinks, obviously ready to forget what happened that morning.

Jamie finds Jordie after Tyler's second shot, already worried, and asks Jordie, "please watch out for him tonight?” Jordie still feels guilty so he pats Jamie's shoulder a couple of times to get his attention and promises that yes, he will guard Tyler's life with his own.  
It's overdramatic, but it makes Jamie smile, so Jordie considers it a win.

Their newly found good moods don't stop the chain of events that unfold.

Tyler surprises everyone and stops at his second shot. It's Jordie's first signal that something is wrong.

He ignores the worry settling is his stomach, in favor of believing that Tyler is suddenly okay with not being on good terms with his boyfriend. Even Jason raises an eyebrow at Jordie when he doesn't follow Tyler into the living room and away from the bar.  
Jordie has half a mind to expect that Tyler will reappear any second, a new cup or something else in hand, and resume drinking.

Eventually though, when Tyler doesn't come back, Jordie’s compelled to investigate. He searches the living room, where Tyler disappeared into, but he doesn't find him anywhere. The only place to go from there is the bathroom, kitchen, upstairs, or outside. Jordie tries to play it off as he waits outside the bathroom, but when Tyler doesn't emerge, his stomach sinks. He knows Tyler isn't the dick he once appeared to be, but as each second ticks by he's starting to consider having to add the bedrooms to his list of places to look for Tyler.

His search in the kitchen comes up just as useless, until a girl with long brown hair stops Jordie. "Are you looking for Tyler?" She asks, face a weird mix of secretive and worry. Jordie doesn't know her, doesn't know if he can trust her, so he just nods, "yeah, he bailed on shots." He figures it's a dumb enough excuse to find the party's golden boy, and it works. "Oh, he won't be doing shots anytime soon." She says it as if she knows something he doesn't. Jordie is ready to be done with their conversation when she leans closer, "Beth took him upstairs to one of the rooms.”

Jordie sees red. That cheating bastard will die. 

Finding Tyler is too easy. The upstairs has ten rooms, but it's obvious which one they're in. The door is half ajar and heavy breathing can be heard from halfway down the hall. He doesn't even have the decency to be private, Jordie thinks, disgusted with the asshole his brother wasted months on. He slams the door open, satisfied when the girl half on top of Tyler jumps in surprise. Her panicked eyes meet his, and she scrambles off of Tyler. She must know about him and Jamie.

Even after the girl gets off him, all Tyler does is lay flat, chest heaving up and down from his harsh breaths, while he stares at the ceiling. The fucker can't even face his own mistakes.

"Thank God!" The girl says, confusing Jordie to hell and back. She rushes towards him, and he's too confused to fight away her hands as she pulls him closer to Tyler.  
The closer he gets, the more obvious it is that Tyler is not okay.

The girl starts talking a mile a minute, hands frantically hovering over Tyler, as if scared to touch him. Jordie can't catch up, "slow down," he tells her, still skeptical of the situation.

She breathes for a second, then starts again, still rushing, but considerably slower as she explains herself. “We were in the kitchen and he came in to get water. He was breathing kind of weird and some of the girls were teasing that I should take him upstairs to hookup, but I'm first aid certified and I could tell something was wrong and I didn't know if it was a problem he didn't want people knowing about so I lead him up here, giving the girls the idea that we were going up to do other things but I just wanted to help and now I don't know what's wrong because he won't respond and I think he needs an ambulance."

Jordie feels frozen, trying to decide what to believe. One look at Tyler though, and he knows Tyler is in no mind to be hooking up. That only leaves the girl’s end of the story up in the air. She seems genuinely panicked, so he decides to trust her and believe she has Tyler's best interests at heart.

"Okay, what do we do?" He asks her, hoping her certification can help them somewhat. He puts himself at Tyler's head, and places his palm on his friend's chest. He can feel the jack-rabbit like thumps of Tyler's heart. It's nothing, though, compared to the fear in Tyler's eyes. He gazes up at Jordie, his eyes screaming, and wraps his hand tight around the one Jordie has on his chest. Jordie feels in over his head. 

"He has some redness on the outside of his throat but when I asked him if he ate anything or got bit by something he shook his head," she points out, climbing back up on the bed and over Tyler. She shoves a pillow under his head to get him elevated and then runs her fingers down the lines of his throat that are red with raised bumps. "I think his throat is swelling," she says, looking to Jordie with wide eyes. Tyler's breath quickens under them.

"These look like hives," she says, seemingly talking to herself as she pulls Tyler's collar down lower. Something seems to hit her, forcing her up and out the door, calling over her shoulder that she'll be back. Jordie tries to remember how to breath while simultaneously trying to get Tyler to slow his breathing. "Man, talk to me," Jordie pleads, gripping Tyler's hand tighter when Tyler's grip starts to fade.

"Air," Tyler gasps out, his free hand weakly pawing at his throat. His hand falls limp on the bed once he puts all his focus back on breathing. Tyler’s eyes start losing focus, and Jordie is pulling out his phone to call an ambulance when the girl comes rushing back in, a small pen-like object in her hand. She all but pushes Jordie out of the way, and before he can stop her, or ask what’s happening, she’s jabbing the thing down into Tyler's leg, electronic voice instructions left in the dust. She rubs over the spot when she pulls away the device, and starts talking to Tyler in a calm, gentle voice. Jordie doesn't know what she's saying, too focused on the way Tyler's breathing improves at a glacial pace. He breathes his first full breath as Tyler melts into the sheet, closing his eyes as he starts to take fuller breaths. 

“Please, can you find Jamie Benn?” Jordie asks Beth, blinking away tears as the gravity of the situation finally hits him. She squeezes his arm as she leaves the room. Jordie can’t help thinking that Tyler could be dead if it wasn't for her. 

Jamie is a wreck before his eyes even land on Tyler. He's out of breath, even though he can run a mile without gasping. 

“What happened?” he all but begs, climbing onto the bed and folding his body down next to Tyler. He pulls Tyler into his arms, keeping them propped up against the headboard so Tyler can breathe easier and lean his head back against Jamie’s shoulder. Jordie feels like he’s intruding on a personal moment as Jamie closes his eyes and presses a kiss to Tyler’s sweaty forehead.  
“It looked like an allergic reaction, and when I used the Epi-pen my friend had in her purse he started coming around,” Beth explains, paused in the doorway. 

“He’s allergic to pineapples,” Jamie says, hands now settled against Tyler’s chest, feeling him breathe. Jordie can only imagine the war waging in his head. This ordeal was hard enough on Jordie, and he’s not even dating Ty. He makes sure to keep an eye on his brother, worried Jamie will push aside his panic in favor of portraying a calm demeanor so that he can be helpful. 

“He said he didn't eat anything,” Beth tells them. It’s obvious she wants to give them room, but Jordie doesn't want her to leave, too worried that Tyler will start barely breathing again. 

They’re interrupted by Jason, who squeezes past Beth. “I heard Tyler’s having an allergic reaction?” He asks hastily, clearly worried. Word travels fast around here. 

“We think so, but he’s only allergic to pineapples and he didn't eat anything,” Jordie explains, getting more frustrated by the minute. If they don't know what caused this to happen they can’t help Tyler. 

Jason pales, expression twisting with regret, “The juice I had out for mixed drinks had pineapple in it.” Tyler’s one drink and two shots suddenly make sense. “You couldn't have known, man,” Jordie soothes, mostly relieved that they know what’s going on with Tyler. 

“We should take him to the E.R. now,” Jamie says, still absorbed in every slight move Tyler makes. He seems much better now, just resting against Jamie and taking deep breaths, as if he’ll never have enough oxygen again. 

Though Jason wants to call an ambulance, Jamie insists it'll be faster if they drive, so they grab their things and Jason gets the car. Jordie shoos everyone from the living room and entrance so that Jamie can carry Tyler down the stairs and to the car without too many prying eyes. A flash goes off, but Jordie can see other teammates taking care of it, so he just shields Tyler as much as he can and helps Jamie get him settled in the backseat, his head ending up in Jamie’s lap, who crawls in after him. 

Jordie takes over the wheel from Jason, promising they’ll text him once they know for sure that everything is okay. 

Tyler, in the back, doesn't stay laying down for long. He sits up, obviously confused, and starts weakly trying to get past Jamie to the car door, completely ignorant of the one on the other side of him. Eventually Jamie grabs Tyler, settles his limbs, and pulls him against his chest with his arm wrapped around Tyler to keep him close. 

Jordie looks back in the mirror every other block. He can hardly pull his eyes away from them. Tyler is so small huddled under Jamie's arm, his hands gripping tight to Jamie's sweater. His poor brother looks shell shocked, one hand gripping Tyler right back while the other rubs slowly up and down his back. Every once and a while Jamie leans his head down and kisses the top of Tyler's head, eyes pinched tight while he squeezes his boyfriend. 

Jordie can’t imagine what they’re going through. How Jamie feels has to be one hundred times worse than the lead balloon in his own stomach. 

When they get to the E.R. the nurses have to pull Tyler from Jamie, promising they'll get Jamie in to see him as soon as they can. 

As soon as they can is four hours later. 

The waiting kills them both, their phones blowing up from teammates and friends alike, all worried out of their minds. They reassure everyone despite the clock that mocks them, announcing each tick of a second that goes by without news. When Jamie’s hands freeze and he stares at his phone for too long, no longer typing out messages, Jordie looks over at his screen. He pulls the phone from his brother as fast as possible, exiting out of the WebMd page. “Don’t do that to yourself, Tyler will-,” Jordie’s attempt at soothing is interrupted by Jamie’s backlash, “he could have brain damage, organ damage, his heart could fail from the lack of oxygen, Jordie I-,” his brother breaks off in sobs, shattering Jordie’s heart. 

When they were little, they stopped holding hands when Jamie turned six and would argue that he was old enough to cross streets on his own. Once they were older even for prayers in church when they’d have to link hands Jenny would sit between them, a buffer to their fighting, even during what their mom referred to as ‘God’s time’. 

It’s been nearly twenty years, but Jordie grabs his brother’s hand like they’re little again, and squeezes tight, a promise that they’ll get to the other side of this road, this terrifying moment, together. 

Most people outside of their close circle and locker room don't even know that Jamie is there as Tyler’s boyfriend, not just his Captain or friend. Jordie imagines what it’d be like if this had gone worse, if Tyler had passed, and everyone just saw Jamie as some friend of Tyler’s, nearly insignificant to his life compared to the roll he plays now. It’s devastating to even think about. 

Thankfully, a nurse calling Tyler’s name pulls him from that train of thought. She leads them down twists of hallways, apologizing for the wait and explaining that Tyler has been getting sick for the last four hours, and just now has settled. It doesn't prepare either of them for the sight of Tyler hooked up to machines and pale against the hospital sheets. 

Jamie gets within a foot of Tyler before the nurse stops him, “he just fell asleep, let him rest a little.” Jordie’s heart breaks as his little brother dejectedly pulls a chair up to the side of the bed, his hands uselessly cupped over his mouth as his eyes fill with tears. Jordie does the only thing he can do and pulls another chair closer, leading his brother into his side for comfort. Jamie holds onto him like Tyler was holding onto Jamie hours before, grip tight and body shaking. 

“I love him so much, Jordie,” Jamie cries, “he could’ve died.” Jordie rocks them back and forth, whispering over and over that Tyler is alive, that they'll be okay. He promises every reassuring thing he can think of, despite the impossibility of harm never coming their way again.

He holds Jamie for nearly a half hour, his heart heavy. 

By the time a Doctor enters the room an hour has passed and Jamie’s eyes are dry, besides for the occasional tear that works it’s way to the surface. 

The Doctor greets them cheerfully, dispelling some of their worry, and asks them to join her in the hall so that they don't disturb Tyler. Jamie agrees, but once he's in the hall he keeps his body facing the open door, refusing to let Tyler out of his sight. 

“Tyler is doing okay,” she starts, then gives them a second to just feel the relief, “I’m confident that there’s no complication from the anaphylactic shock, but we’ll keep him over night just to be sure.”

Jamie, overjoyed, hugs her, and Jordie can’t help but laugh through his own tears at her wide-eyed expression as she pats Jamie on the back. Jamie must say thank you at least twenty times. When he pulls away from the Doctor he hugs Jordie next, and Jordie lets his brother come to him. It’s such a different hug from the one they shared just an hour ago when Jamie was inconsolable. 

When they pull apart, relieved tears in their eyes, the Doctor lets them know what will happen over the next couple of days. “Over the night we expect that his condition will steadily improve, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be one hundred percent by morning when we release him.” They both nod their heads in understanding and she continues, “He’ll need a couple days of rest, doing absolutely nothing strenuous, and he’ll need to pick up a new EpiPen immediately; we already filed a prescription request to his general practitioner. And he should also schedule an appointment with him as soon as he’s feeling up to it.” 

The second the Doctor is gone, after they thank her again, Jordie pulls out his phone and starts making a note of everything she said to do. He’s so distracted he doesn't notice Jamie float back into Tyler’s room. 

“Tyler!” he hears Jamie gasp. He runs into the room, worried something’s gone wrong, and nearly smacks into Jamie’s frozen figure.  
Tyler is blinking sleepily up at them, a small smile on a his face. He doesn't seem to be waking up, only staying in his half-awake state. “I missed you,” he mumbles, hand reaching out for Jamie, but he misses by a mile and gives up.

“I was right outside,” Jamie promises, even though Jordie doubts Tyler can follow a conversation right now. They don't get a response, instead Tyler turns his head to look out the window and smiles at the darkness. 

“Go back to sleep Tyler, we’re here, we’re not leaving,” Jamie says, pulling his chair as close to possible to the bed. He takes the hand Tyler tried to reach out for him with and intertwines their fingers. His other hand finds his way to Tyler’s forehead, brushing back his hair over and over again. Tyler’s eyes flutter closed against the touch, his head leaning into Jamie’s palm. 

Jordie wants to give them a minute alone, but he fears he wouldn't be able to find his way back to the room. 

“Love you, Ty,” Jamie whispers, kissing where their hands are linked, “You’ll feel better in the morning.” Jordie thinks about just telling Jamie he’ll wait outside, but he knows better than to try to get his brother’s attention right now. Jamie’s eyes are glued to Tyler, a soft, breakable look in his eyes. 

It doesn't take long before Tyler and Jamie are both asleep, Jamie’s head pillowed on Tyler’s chest and his hand still in Tyler’s hair. Jordie snaps a picture, sending it to their team’s group chat and a couple of their close friends. The caption reads, ‘Recovering now, together- back where they belong.’


End file.
